Studying in London is unforgettable experience, and it’s well worth the effort of finding a higher education institution in the city that can offer you the course you need. There are a huge variety of colleges and universities covering every conceivable subject so if you’re determined to study in London you’ll be able to find somewhere to aspire to!

Whether you grew up in the city, or are living here for the first time, London has plenty of unique experiences to offer students, from nights out on the town to discounts to help stretch your student loan further.

Let’s take a look at some of the most exciting things London has to offer students.

Discounts

Every business is keen to capture some of your student loan. And while you need to make sure you don’t get carried away and spend a term’s worth of money in a week, there’s plenty you can benefit from.

Transport is one of your biggest costs, and TFL is happy to help out students! As long as you have student ID from a qualifying organisation, a passport photo and £20, you’re able to apply for a Student Oyster Card, which can save you around a third off most journeys, which should make your budgeting a little easier.

Students attract lots of discounts in other areas too, from pizzas to gym membership. Even storage for students can come with some money off, and this is something it’s well worth pursuing. If you have to move out of your accommodation over the holidays, whether it’s halls of residence or a shared house, you’ll need somewhere safe to keep your possessions, or you’ll be forced to take them all the way home with you. A reliable storage company can solve that problem!

Film, Theatre and Festivals

Students also get unique access to the cultural life of the city. The National Theatre offers young people cheap tickets, and special events and workshops, so you can not just see plays but get a real insight into how Britain’s Theatre works.

If that doesn’t interest you, every college and university comes with an array of societies and sports teams that are all uniquely placed to use the resources of the capital city to pursue their goals. If you’re into sports you’ll be playing in high quality facilities with tournaments organised the year round with local student teams you can meet by crossing town, not the country.

Are you one of the millions of seniors who are worried about the future? Let’s face it, financial security isn’t what it used to be. Safe pensions, Social Security and access to affordable health care are things that will affect us all, but many of today’s older Americans are living with uncertainty every day. That’s why American Advisors Group offers a way for you to tap into something that is secure: your home equity.

How Can a Home Equity Loan Provide Me With Financial Security.

An AAG reverse mortgage isn’t quite a loan, not in the traditional sense. It’s a way of making a passive asset work for you. The fact is, seniors have a combined $6.5 trillion in home equity available to them. Making that asset a part of your retirement planning allows you to tap into your equity in a way that gives you all of the advantages without the pitfalls.

What You Need is Options

Reverse mortgages aren’t the same as home equity loans, where you use the value of your home as security for a fixed amount of money and pay it back with interest. Reverse mortgages provide you with a cash payout every month to fill gaps in retirement income or to cover unexpected expenses. The most common type of reverse mortgage, an FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), is government insured. The problem is, it also has a cap on the amount you can draw on; currently, that amount is $625,000 regardless of the assessed value.

With that type of mortgage, there are no monthly payments as long as you remain in your home. There’s also no danger of losing your home due to missed payments. The amount acquired is settled when the home is sold or the mortgage holders dies. Now, there’s an option to get a reverse mortgage for up to $6 million, depending on the home’s value. This option is not federally insured, however.

How Do You Get Paid With From a Reverse Mortgage?

There are currently six payout options for reverse mortgage holders. This allows home owners to choose a solution that fits their circumstances.

Line of Credit Option: This allows draws on an as-needed basis over a pre-determined time frame, as long as those draws don’t exceed to limit of $625,000, with interest. The interest rate is not fixed, so it can fluctuate with the market.

Lump Sum Payment: This allows the borrower to receive the entire amount in one lump sum, with any interest added to the remaining loan balance, if any. Otherwise, the debt is discharged at the end of the term.

Term Loan: Provides a monthly payout over a limited time period.

Tenure Loan: This one provides a monthly payout that extends for the life of the loan.

HECM Annual Cap Option: Allows the borrower to take any of the other loan options, but with a lifetime cap on the interest rate at 5 percent.

HECM Purchase Option: This option allows you to buy a second property, for instance, a vacation home, and make the payments using the reverse mortgage on the first.

Your home one of your most solid asset. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t benefit from home ownership in a way that’s safe for you. If you’re considering a reverse mortgage, make sure to work with a reputable lender that has been in business for a number of years and specializes in reverse mortgages.

Recruitment processes can be some of the most challenging and stressful processes for a company to undertake. Never more so is this the case than when the recruitment process is for an executive role such as CEO, CIO, CFO or a CTO position. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a company to decide to instead allow trusted recruitment companies to take up the process instead.

A benefit of a company choosing to use a recruitment company is the freedom to choose how much interaction the company wants with the recruitment process. At the minimal level the most a company needs to do, is be 100% truthful and clear about what they do and don’t want from a candidate, and any other necessary information about the company that is relevant to the recruitment process. Of course, more interaction than this can take place with the recruitment agency, and in some situations is encouraged. What wants to be avoided is that your company is involved in all stages of recruitment, because if this takes place then the recruitment company’s role is largely irrelevant and will only be costing your company money.

If you are looking for executive search firms, London has a plethora of options to choose from. When deciding which recruitment company to go for, it is important to make sure the company chosen specializes in some form of executive search and this wouldn’t be the first case of them doing so. Of course, it should go without saying that you do not necessarily have to hire those suggested by the recruitment company. This would not make the hiring of a recruitment company pointless, as sometimes the candidates they propose, even if unsuitable, can help you realise more clearly as a company what you do and don’t want from a person in that role. As well as this, it can also highlight the positives and negatives of potential candidates within the firm that could be fit for an executive role.

Overall, executive search firms can be a great asset to firms that do not have the time to run a thorough recruitment process themselves, and widens the net for the amount of potential suitable candidates for a given role, making the chance of there being a perfect fit higher than if the process was carried out in-house.

The highly competitive nature of the current job market has resulted in a dramatic proliferation of recruitment agencies, all competing to fill a small number of vacancies from a vast applicant pool. Whilst recruitment agencies have historically played an integral role in linking employers to potential employees, the increase in qualified applicants, coupled with the rise of social media, has lead many observers to question whether it is worthwhile for graduates to use them at all. Despite this however, whether you’re looking for a banking, hospitality or social care job, recruitment agencies are still a worthwhile route to go down for jobseekers, providing they know how and when is best to use them.

How to Best Use Recruitment Agencies

The most important bit of advice we can give you is to not rely on recruitment agencies alone. Whilst it can be effective part of your jobhunting strategy, the fact is most employers don’t use recruitment agencies to fill vacancies and so relying solely on this greatly narrows your scope. Recruitment agencies are used mainly by large employers who wish to cast their net as widely as possible when recruiting graduates or specialists, and by small companies who don’t have the capacity to carry out their own recruitment. Agencies will put forward candidates who meet the skills and experience required for the job and so your opportunities may be restricted if you have limited work experience. If you believe you could benefit from using recruitment agencies, it is now time to consider how best to go about it.

Once you have decided whether using recruitment agencies will be worthwhile for you, the next step is to research the agencies that are most relevant to you, considering factors such as location and sector, and contact several different agencies to increase your chances of success. If an agency believes you are suitable, they will contact you and ask for more information about your personal circumstances and career aspirations. If you meet all their requirements, you may then be asked to attend a screening interview where the agency will determine whether you are suitable to send to interview with their client companies.

Finally, make sure you are not charged by agencies for their services as they receive a fee from the employer whose vacancy you are applying for. It is also important to remember that the most popular and competitive sectors for graduates, such as journalism and the media, do not use agencies as they fill vacancies through speculative applications. If you are considering a career in these sectors we would advise you not to bother using recruitment agencies and instead contact employers directly.

There are many things that you can go to school for, but few professions offer the great opportunities that real estate offers. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to go about being a successful real estate agent. What it really comes down to is investing time into real estate education so that you can pass the national licensing exam. Then, you need to gain access to the right resources to jump-start your career.

Take a Real Estate Educational Course

If you want to know how to get a real estate license, the first step involves taking classes about real estate. No one can get a real estate license without passing the real estate licensing exam. While this exam may seem intimidating, it’s easy to pass if you arm yourself with the right knowledge. This involves enrolling in a course from an accredited real estate licensing institution. While you can take these classes at a brick-and-mortar school, it’s just as easy to take the courses online.

Pass the Real Estate Licensing Exam

Once you finish your real estate courses, it’s time to take the licensing exam. Most real estate courses prepare you for this moment with mock and pre-licensing exams so that you know what to expect. You can schedule a licensing exam with a local real estate testing center. There are testing centers all over the country, so you can find the closest one to your residence.

Submit an Application to Your State’s Real Estate Board

Once you pass your exam and get your license, you’re almost ready to launch your career. You need to submit your license to a real estate licensing board first. Most states charge a small fee to submit applications. Also, you can submit your application as long as you’re at least 18 years of age and have a GED or higher.

Once you get your license, it’s time to launch your own real estate career. Thankfully, good real estate agents are always in high demand. With the housing market bouncing back from the economic downturn in the early 2010s, now is the perfect time to get into real estate. Start your search by enrolling in the right courses to prepare for the licensing exam.

Posts navigation

I am a work from home mom who discusses topics related to business, entrepreneurship, and finance. I struggled with financial difficulties and bankruptcy, so I want to share with you how I overcame these problems! Thanks for visiting!